As many of our Alberta CKC members are aware, the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) voted in favour to ban veterinarians from completing several procedures, namely, cropping, docking and front dewclaw removal.
CKC was in contact with the ABVMA prior to the membership vote, providing scientific evidence to support cropping and docking procedures. This information was also complimented by a presentation to ABVMA on January 15, 2019.
Despite the recent news, CKC continues to support freedom of choice for breeders of purebred dogs who can continue this practice to promote safety in performance activities and support hygienic animal husbandry. CKC is working to understand what the next steps and timelines are for ABVMA, for the bans to take effect, and if there are other opportunities for discussions prior to implementation.
CKC is also aware of the proposed amendments to Alberta’s Animal Protection Act (AAPA) and the petition that is circulating. The draft changes to the AAPA include a ban on cropping and docking procedures and a mandatory licensing of all breeders.
CKC is working to secure the opportunity for stakeholder consultation with MLA Rick Fraser, the MLA who has started the proposal, to provide input and feedback. We have learned that many stakeholder groups have been included in the process to create the proposed amendments, but to our knowledge, no purebred dog clubs have been requested to participate.
Animal welfare is important to all CKC members. CKC encourages balanced legislation that considers all stakeholders that it impacts.
How You Can Help:
- We are in the process of defining a working task group to help support these important changes that impact our Alberta members. While we are defining the parameters of the task group, if you are interested in participating, please contact Sarah McDowell at smcdowell@ckc.ca.
- CKC encourages members to contact their local MLA and MLA Rick Fraser via the contact email information provided here to assist with securing stakeholder input. Please use this sample template to send to your MLA contacts.
Thank you! Together, we can make a difference.